When Malcolm Toulouse ‘28 first joined Pingree School’s theater tech co-curricular, he wasn’t sure what to expect. He certainly didn’t imagine he’d soon be running lights for full-school assemblies, designing dramatic stage effects, or building cross-grade friendships that would define his freshman year.
“[Theater tech] gives you a chance to slowly dip your toe into performing without the pressure of being on stage,” Toulouse said
Pingree’s after-school programs, open to all grade levels, offer students like Toulouse a chance to explore areas of interest in a low-pressure, high-support environment. While many gravitate toward the spotlight, others, like Toulouse, thrive behind the scenes—literally and figuratively lighting the way.
Toulouse works with a tight-knit group of seven or eight students on everything from stage lighting to sound mixing. He describes the community as collaborative and interwoven with other parts of the school’s arts program.
“Sometimes we work with art students, sometimes with vocal ensembles,” he said. “It really draws bonds between you. During the show, I sit with the stage manager—she’s a senior—and we’ll just talk about the show between cues.”
That sense of collaboration is no accident. “Theatre is a collaborative art,” said Steve Hall, a faculty mentor in the program. “All the artists involved—onstage and offstage—add their talents in support of a directorial concept. Tech students work closely with performers to design and execute elements that directly impact an actor’s performance.”
In Into the Woods, for instance, Toulouse worked with actor Devin Cox to synchronize complex lighting movements with onstage action. “It’s the kind of coordination that deepens the performance and builds trust between the tech crew and cast,” Hall said.
Toulouse’s favorite part? Designing lighting that enhances—not distracts from—the performers on stage. “If there’s a stormy scene, I want to communicate danger. If someone’s singing solo, I close in the lights to focus attention,” he said. “I want the audience to feel what the actors and the scenery are already doing, but more.”
These programs encourage this kind of experimentation and growth. Students are supported by faculty mentors like Hall but are encouraged to innovate and problem-solve.
“It’s about reinforcing that there are no ‘wrong’ choices in creating art—just ones that may be more or less effective depending on what you’re trying to communicate,” Hall said. “Most times, we’re discovering together whether an idea will work. It’s all part of building the experience students take with them to the next production.”
Toulouse recalls a progression from learning “which buttons to press” to crafting complex lighting cues that blend color, movement, and emotion.
“I went from, ‘Here’s how to do it,’ to just fully going for it,” he said. “It was really taking the reins off at the exact right moment.”
That creative independence hasn’t gone unnoticed. “Malcolm has, in two productions, gone from the shy freshman sitting a slight distance apart to being a team leader,” Hall said. “He’s discovered the complex things he can do with our lighting system, and I’m afraid he’s now unstoppable.”
Toulouse is already thinking about what’s next—syncing light sequences to music for Pingree’s Coffee House performances or building automated cues for assemblies.
“I think the next step for me is seeing how much I can do,” he said.
For students unsure of their place or passion, Toulouse has clear advice: try something. “There’s never going to be something you learn that’s completely useless,” he said. “The most magical moments come when you remember that one thing you picked up on an off Saturday and it just works.”
In a school that values student voice, curiosity, and connection, Malcolm Toulouse’s experience in Pingree’s theater tech program shows what can happen when students are given room to discover who they are—and who they might become.